What makes a “good” vampire movie? Is it the look of the vampire? Or maybe the actor(s) playing the vampire(s). The truth is, like many other things in life, subjective. Take my wife and I, for example. She prefers her vampires more romantic and human-looking, whereas I prefer my vampires to look more hellish and nasty. Case in point, my wife loves DRACULA UNTOLD whereas I prefer FRIGHT NIGHT. Both are about vampires but are characterized in radically different ways. Interpretation is one of the exciting parts of the horror genre as it allows filmmakers to leave their own unique stamp on a rather common archetype, like the vampire. Vampires, much like zombies, have become so ubiquitous in horror that for many they are the first experience they have with the genre. I distinctly remember watching DRACULA (1931) as a young kid and being entranced by Lugosi’s characterization. For all intents and purposes he was my “first vampire”, the one who established the framework in my mind of how a vampire should look and feel. However, even though Lugosi’s Dracula was my first foray it wasn’t the only vampire film that left an undeniable mark on me. In the early 90s, the vampire genre belonged to Radu. Now, after 25 years FULL MOON FEATURES has brought the bloodstone-seeking bloodsucker back for SUBSPECIES V: BLOODRISE. Is Radu’s presence a welcome return, or should he be kept in the coffin for the foreseeable future?

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

Spanning 500 years in the life of the vampire Radu Vladislas, this long-anticipated prequel to the Subspecies series chronicles Radu's descent from a noble warrior for the Church to a depraved creature of the night.

HOW IS IT?

It is important to start this review by acknowledging my SUBSPECIES bias. As mentioned in the intro, SUBSPECIES has been a part of my horror lexicon for almost as long as I’ve been a fan of horror. FULL MOON FEATURES was a staple of my childhood and I must’ve rented most of the movies they put out between 1990-1995. SUBSPECIES is second only to the PUPPET MASTER films as far as films that are cornerstones of my early horror development, and for as long as I can remember I’ve enjoyed them, warts and all. With SUBSPECIES V: BLOODRISE (referred to as simply “BLOODRISE”) we get a prequel that is far better than most would expect, but also far from the kind of return befitting a character as pivotal as Radu.

Making a prequel about Radu after over 30 years and four other films feels like an odd choice. For one, the character has been dormant for over two decades, and beyond that, the films are a relatively obscure franchise for anyone under the age of 30. So perhaps this is an attempted reboot, although if that were the case it makes little sense to have cast ANDERS HOVE to reprise his role as Radu. Regardless of the why, the choice to focus on Radu’s backstory is a bit of a mixed bag. There are some conflicting narratives both in relation to continuity with the original film as well as within BLOODRISE itself. For example, we are told that Radu is the spawn of a demon and a vampire and at birth he had his sharp claw-like nails removed to help him blend in, but he grows up to show no visual signs of being either a demon or vampire and has to get bitten again for him to fully become his vampiric self. It is as if we are being given the answer to a question that no one asked, and in a way that is kind of what BLOODRISE is. Instead of blazing new ground by placing this in the modern day, viewers are likely already aware of what is about to happen (Radu becomes a vampire), but the assumption that viewers care how that came to be is a risky one. Considering that Radu isn’t as much a household name as say Leatherface or Jason Voorhees, the choice to give him a proper backstory feels like having a party and no one knows who the person being celebrated is. Not to mention that horror prequels are infamous for being lesser-than versions of their source material.

This is not to say that BLOODRISE is all bad, in fact, it is far better than most would imagine. While FULL MOON FEATURES is often known for its lower-budget efforts, there does seem to be a larger-than-average investment in this film and it shows. From outstanding production design to lush and captivating cinematography, BLOODRISE looks amazing. The same can be said of the makeup effects, most of which are practical and offer up more of the creature-like vampires this series is known for. And while the backstory for Radu isn’t all that interesting, the way things play out certainly is. Despite some pacing issues, BLOODRISE manages to hold your attention due to the strong performance of ANDERS HOVE and the performances of those in makeup. While the story is mostly forgettable, it is admirable that the visual and performance quality is so high. As a long-time fan of the series, BLOODRISE is better than one would expect while falling slightly short of delivering the jolt needed to resurrect this franchise and character.

HOW DOES IT LOOK?

FULL MOON FEATURES pulls out all the stops for BLOODRISE and it shows in the quality of the visuals. Given this is a 2022 production, there is no need for remastering from the original negatives and instead, we are treated to a beautiful-looking digital print presented in 1080p with a 1.33:1 aspect ratio. The standouts in this film are the locations and production design, all of which pop with deep and lush autumn colors alongside dark grays and moodier dimly lit areas. This is a superb-looking film and you can see images from this release used throughout the review as well as below:

HOW DOES IT SOUND?

Coinciding with a great visual output is an equally impressive audio output, albeit not without some issues considering there are no subtitles included with this release. There are two audio options, a standard 2.0 DTS-HD stereo track as well as a 5.1 DTS-HD surround sound mix. I used the latter for this review and it is perfectly leveled and void of any imbalances. This won’t give your surround sound speakers the most aggressive workout, but it makes good use of them when applicable in the film.

ANYTHING SPECIAL?

Sadly, this is a pretty bare-bones release save for one feature we reviewed. The included behind-the-scenes documentary is about 14 minutes, but it packs in a whole lot of interviews and information about the production and how the film came to be all these years later. What is most endearing is watching TED NICOLAU (Writer and Director) and ANDERS HOVE talk about the franchise. Hearing how much this means to both of them and how much they wanted to bring this character back makes me hopeful that we will get more Radu in the future. Alongside this BTS documentary, here are the other special features included with this release:

BONUS MATERIALS

Photo Gallery
Director's Commentary
Full Moon Features Official Trailers
Bloodrise: Behind The Scenes

LAST RITES

SUBSPECIES V: BLOODRISE is the best Radu has ever looked at and will be sure to please fans of the franchise who’ve been waiting patiently for the series to return. Not without fault, and certainly far from perfect, the strong production design and performances are enough to satisfy fans and hopefully bring some new blood on board!

THE GORY DETAILS

Thank you to the fine fiends over at MVD ENTERTAINMENT for providing a review copy for the crypt! Subspecies V: Bloodrise is available NOW and can be purchased via MVD DIRECT!

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Nov 4, 2020

Matthew Orozco